Recently I shared with you a great book by Jeff Olson, "The Sleight Edge." The basic premise, in a nutshell, is that by making small changes, working on each bad habit minimally, we'll begin to make the sorts of choices that lead us to more success, productivity and happiness. Remember - it's all about taking that first, tiny step, somewhere, anywhere, but just make themove!

Along those same lines, the Japanese concept of Kaizen also looks at small changes. In fact, Kaizen means "change for better." The concept started after World War II, with the Japanese desire to implement more American business practices. By looking at all processes and procedures, everyone in a company, from assembly line workers to the CEOs, would be searching for any small change that would improve their companies' bottom line.

Fast forward: The concepts of Kaizen are now being transferred to many realms, and you can practice some of the ideas with your organizing projects and personal time management situations. All are aimed at helping 'git 'er done' with more thought to 'best practices' and better habit formation. Any improvement, whether a one-time shot or something with continuous action, no matter how large or small, counts toward Kaizen.

Nurturing, praising and encouraging implementation are huge in the concept of Kaizen (Ring a bell here? Ever heard me talk of "reward - reward - reward"?). Now, we're not talking about the dreaded 'perfection' here, but perpetual, positive improvement, each and every day; tiny steps leading to infinite progress. At Toyota, for instance, a 'Kaizen blitz' might be held for an entire week, where all are working on a particular issue with a limited scope - sounds like something that could be applied in your own home or office, right?